Samir is a top player. He is young and needs to improve, but he could ­become a player like David Silva, like Xavi and like Iniesta

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini

Nasri is basking in the glow of sinking ­Chelsea 2-1 with his late ­winner on ­ Wednesday night.

But he hasn’t always found himself in the spotlight this season after struggling to make much of an impact following his £24m summer switch from Arsenal.

Nasri has failed to hold down a regular place in Mancini’s starting line-up and has found himself in the shadow of David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure.

However, the City boss reckons Nasri has now turned a corner and can go on to write his name in lights, like World Cup winners Xavi and ­Iniesta have done for European ­champions Barcelona.

Mancini said: “Samir is a top player. He is young and needs to improve, but he could ­become a player like David Silva, like Xavi and like Iniesta.

“He can do better than he did on Wednesday and if he works hard, he will get better.”

Told of his manager’s glowing tribute, Nasri said: “I don’t know about that. At the moment they are on top, and I am 24.

“I know that, if I have confidence, I can get better. I am someone who works with love.

“I can’t say I will be like Iniesta – it would be silly to say that – but I can do my own thing.”

The Frenchman admits he was slow to get going at City but is starting to flourish thanks to fatherly love and advice from Mancini.

“I like to have a ‘dad’ with me, then I can give everything,” he said.

“That is what I am starting to feel here, that everyone is giving me the confidence – the owners and the manager.

“He (Mancini) is the same age as my father, so he can be!”

The win over Chelsea means City are now one point behind leaders Manchester United with nine games to go, starting at Stoke tomorrow.

And Nasri reckons City are over their wobble following defeat at Swansea and their Europa League exit to Sporting Lisbon.

“After Swansea, we could not say ­anything,” he said. “We had a really bad game, they played really well, and we were a little bit tired after the trip from Lisbon.

“But after that we recovered and we talked and said a few things – that we came here to win titles.

“We said that we need to be focused because the 10 games that are left are 10 Champions League finals and we want to win them.

“Since then we have shown great character.

“There will ­always be ­someone there to criticise, not everyone can like City. There will be someone who will say we were weak on Wednesday night, or something like that.

“But, inside the club, we believe that we can achieve something ­together, and that is most important.”

And Nasri believes City fans can help roar them to the title.

He said: “Before Wednesday we were four points behind – and did you see the crowd and hear the atmosphere?

“It will be like this until the end, and that will be really good for us because we will play with an extra player.

“I am not nervous. I play football to play in these type of games. On Wednesday, when you look at the atmosphere, the crowd, and the football both teams played, everyone wants to play in these kind of games.”